Running with Toads and Plum Popsicles

I’ve been running again lately, albeit slow but my feet are moving in a forward direction. In my mind, I’m just taking time to really enjoy the sites and sounds around me. Ahhhh, nature.

For instance, this little guy (see picture below) and I had a near collision the other morning. Truthfully, I tapped him with my shoe. Don’t worry. No toads were harmed in the making of this post. Naturally, I stopped to take a picture and subsequently spent the rest of the run daydreaming potential captions for Instagram. I’m pretty sure thinking about how best to communicate your day on social media is a normal way to spend your time in 2013.

1. Gone frogging… I mean jogging. (I know its a toad)

2. TOAD-ally great run this morning.

3. Meet my new friend!

4. Toad, where is your friend Frog?

5. Almost stubbed my TOE-ad.

6. Kissed him for no good reason. Still looking for my prince charming…

7. TOADal of 3 miles this morning. Felt great.

8. May the toad rise to meet you…

After my run, I cooled off with a refreshing plum-raspberry popsicle. I’m a HUGE fan of popsicles as you know. This is one of my latest and greatest flavor combos. Don’t like plums? Get a life. (and/or substitute a fruit you do like… peaches perhaps?)

Slice plums into 8 wedges. Discard the pits. Place water and plum slices in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a simmer, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Remove pan from heat. Add in sugar and raspberries. Stir to combine. Allow mixture to cool completely.
Once mixture has cooled, place mixture into a food processor (or use your stick blender). Blend until smooth. Strain mixture to remove seeds.
Chill mixture in fridge. Transfer cooled mixture to popsicle molds. Freeze for several hours. Serve.

A note about the sugar: the original recipe calls for 2/3C of sugar, but I preferred them with half the sugar. Adjust according to your taste preference.